1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to rear view mirrors for vehicles. More particularly, the present invention relates to a side rear view mirror arrangement for eliminating a blind spot associated with side rear view mirrors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Side rear view mirrors have been installed on vehicles for safely operating a vehicle because a side rear view mirror allows a driver to determine, for example, whether an adjacent lane is clear to the side and rear of the vehicle before making a lane change. However, side rear view mirrors inherently have a blind spot. Accordingly, there have been a number of attempts at eliminating the blind spot by improving side rear view mirrors.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,210,147 to Griffith discloses a rear view mirror arrangement for a vehicle which includes an external rear view mirror mounted to the vehicle with an outside arm and an interior mirror mounted to the interior of the vehicle with an inside arm. The outside and inside arms are connected together and clamped to a door frame of the vehicle. The two mirrors can be adjusted independently of each other. Nevertheless, the entire assembly requires that a driver take care to avoid the internal mirror when the door is opened.
Another example of an improved side rear view mirror is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,173 to Schmeadeke. The Schmeadeke mirror arrangement includes two side rear view mirrors externally mounted to a vehicle and arranged one above the other on a shaft of a mounting bracket. The upper mirror is rotatably mounted on the shaft for allowing the mirror to be adjusted around the shaft. The lower mirror is non-rotatably mounted on the shaft providing simultaneous rotation of the two mirrors when the lower mirror is rotated. A similar side rear view mirror, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,320 to Tribble, includes a pair of independently adjustable mirrors externally mounted on a frame which is adjustably secured to a vehicle.
Yet another example of an improved side rear view mirror is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,013 to Hagn et al. The Hagn et al. mirror arrangement includes an external side rear view mirror mounted to a bracket located a corner of a door window of a vehicle and a supplementary mirror disposed on the inside of the side door opposite the external rear view mirror. The supplementary mirror is mounted within a housing configured as an air outlet device for an air delivery passage of the vehicle ventilating system so that fogging of the side window pane is prevented or rapidly removed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,689 to Schiff discloses an adjustable side-mounted rear-view mirror having two component mirrors. The two mirrors are attached to a vehicle so that one mirror is external to the vehicle, while the second mirror is mounted internally to the vehicle. A mounting device rigidly joins the two mirrors so that their reflective surfaces lie in a common plane and are adjustable together as a single unit about the common vertical and horizontal axes of the two mirrors. The mounting device can be attached to a forward roof-supporting post of the vehicle, but is preferably mounted to a window corner bracket.